What's for supper? New organic family packs.

At the Red Canoe Cafe, we were never in a quandary as to "what's for dinner?" One had a menu, one shopped and prepped and prepared that menu and the entire issue of last minute choice was neatly avoided. It's much like wearing a uniform...less spontanaity but much less last minute agonizing.
With that in mind, Donegal Heritage Farm has organized the month long "Organic & Local Family Pack" complete with recipe and menu suggestions. Follow our plan and feed your family of four at least three hearty organic meat-based meals per week. Growing kids need the protein and energy and even the natural fat which comes in lean pasture raised meat. And tired moms will be surprised how energy returns when a little red meat becomes a regular feature at the dinner table. As for Dad...most Dad's are all too happy to sit down to a juicy pork chop or a succulent burger.
So here's a sample pack priced at 100.00.

One large roasting chicken split in half= Two roast chicken dinners and leftovers for chicken fajitas, chicken sandwiches, chicken salad and chicken soup.

Four pork chops: grilled pork chop dinner. Add potatoes, rice or vegetables.

One smoked pork hock: bake with baked beans. Throw left over bone into pot of split peas for soup.

4 lb beef roast: Pot roast dinner, beef tacos or stir fry, sliced roast beef sandwiches.

4 lb lean ground beef: Burgers, shepherd's pie, meat loaf.

1 Pkg lean breakfast sausage: Sunday breakfast or a stir fry.

1 Doz organic brown eggs: Omelet, quiche, egg salad sandwiches, deviled eggs.

Fill your shopping cart with a large bag of onions, a bag of rice, a bag of pasta, a bag of yellow split peas, a bag of dried white beans, a bag of carrots and a bag of potatoes. Add garlic, couple cans of stewed tomatoes or use fresh from the garden, a bag of flour tortillas, cheese, your favorite herbs, a couple of loaves of your favorite bread, mustard, pickles, sour cream, ketchup. Put bread produts in freezer to stay fresh and stash the rest in the cupboard and fridge. You probably already have cooking oil and flour and sugar and all those staples on hand.

Week number one: Sunday Dinner: Saturday night: Thaw one half roasting chicken: Sunday afternoon brush thawed chicken with oil, sprinkle with herbs such as oregano, rosemary. Set chicken in roast pan. Add 1 cup cold water. Surround chicken with onions, potatoes and carrots, cut in fairly large pieces. Roast, UNCOVERED, for about two hours or until internal temperature indicates 180. Remove chicken and veg from pan, add another cup of cold water. Bring to a simmer and loosen up bits from bottom of pan. Strain into a smaller pot. Add one heaping teaspoon flour or constarch to a half cup cold water and stir with a fork until lumps are gone. Slowly pour flour mixture into gravy and whisk until smooth and simmer for a minute. Serve gravy over chichen and veg.

Remove left over chicken from bones and store in fridge. Put bones into plastic bag in freezer or fridge until needed for soup. Don't throw out left over gravy...add it to fajita mixture for extra flavour. You get the idea!!!!

visit from Paul and Maria and kids

Paul and Maria have stayed at our inn many times over the past years and indeed have become good friends. Maria is Dutch and they live near Strathroy,which is where so many of our Dutch family and friends ended up, instead of in the rocky hills near Brudenell! Easter weekend, we had a visit from them along with Maria's on Terry and his five kids. They live in Barry's Bay where Terry has a natureopathic practice. The kids enjoyed visiting the baby pigs and lambs! Should be some Dutch farmer blood in there somewhere.